Retort door



Sept. 5, 1939. F. Tv JENKINS 2,171,876 I RETORT DOOR Filed Feb. 25, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR F. T. JENK/NJ Sept. 5, 1939. F. T. JENKINS 7 RETORT booR Filed Feb 25, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Q F TJ'ENK/NJ g INVENTOR d W ATTORNEY exceedingly high internal pressures.

Patented Sept. 5, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in retort doors and has reference more particularly to retorts of that character now quite extensively used for the cooking therein of products in sealed cans by the application of steam under high temperature and pressure into the retort.

Explanatory to the present invention, it will here be stated that retorts of the character to which the present invention applies are generally of considerable size and are made to withstand Also, the entrance to such a retort is quite large; for example, from one to six feet in diameter in order to permit the movement therethrough of small truck loads of products into and from the retort. The doors for closing these retort openings are generally hinged to swing between open and closed positions and are equipped with means whereby they may be locked and sealed and closed in pressure tight joints.

In releasing and opening the doors of retorts of this kind, after a cooking operation by use of steam under pressure, precaution must be taken to see to it that the door is not released for opening while any appreciable amount of steam under pressure remains in the retort; the reason for this being that injury to the operator, or persons near, might result from the door being blown open and steam and hot water discharged. Heretofore, various means have been provided to safeguard the operator against such injury, been inadequate or unsatisfactory for various reasons such, for instance, as being too expensive, cumbersome or not easily operated.

In view of the above, it has been the principal object of this invention to provide a novel means for mounting and locking 2. retort door so that it cannot be released for opening except after a certain movement through a position oiadjustment that permits an escapement from the retort of internal pressure, thus insuring the operator against possible damage or injury.

It is also an object of this invention to provide an improved and relatively inexpensive means for locking the door of a retort in closed position, and which lock remains effective during that period of adjustment designed for the escapement of internal pressure from the retort.

More specifically stated, the present invention resides in the provision of means in conjunction with door locking devices for adjusting the locked door away from its sealed position to permit the escapement of pressure but but such means have, generally,

without releasing the door for opening, and which arrangement requires that the pressure releasing adjustment be to a definite extent before the door locking means may be actuated to position for opening the door.

Still further objects of the invention reside in the details of construction of the various parts; in their combination and in the mode of operation as will hereinafter be fully described.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the invention, I have provided the improved de tails, of construction, the preferred forms of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Fig. 1 is a view showing, in elevation, the inside of the retort door in open position, and with the locking bars retracted.

Fig. 2 is a view showing, in elevation, the outside of the door with the release lever in locked position.

Fig. 3 is a detail on section 3-3 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal, sectional view of the door, and. anadjacent part of the retort, showing the locking levers released for opening the door.

Fig. 5 is a similar view with the door locked.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged, sectional detail of the door lock lever adjusting means.

Fig. 7 is a detail of the hinge construction.

Referring more in detail to the drawingsl designates, in general, a retort designed for the cooking therein of canned products by use of steam under pressure. 2 designates a circular opening into the retort and 3 a door adapted to close the opening.

As will be observed best in Figs, 1 and 3, the door 3 is circular and is equipped at one side with spaced flanges or hinge ears 4 adapted to cooperatively overlap with hinge ears 5 extended from the retort, to receive a vertical hinge pin 6 therethrough by which the door is supported to swing between open and closed positions. Also, it will be observed by reference to Fig. 7, that the hinge ears are slotted as at 1 to receive the pin, and these slots are so directed as to permit a direct inward and outward adjustment of the door, for a purpose that will presently be understood.

Referring now particularly'to- Fig. 5, it is to be observed that the door 3 is slightly outwardly dished and is formed about the periphery with an inwardly directed flange lladapted, when the door is closed, to seat tightly against a joint sealing gasket l2 set in a channel. l3 about the. opening 2.

Rigidly mounted on the door 3, coaxially thereof, and extending inwardly therefrom, is a tubular bearing sleeve 15 which, within its inner end portion, is internally threaded, as at l6 and mounts therein a smaller, tubular bearing sleeve I! which extends, at its outer end, beyond the front face of the door, and, at its inner end, extends beyound the inner end of sleeve l5. This sleeve H is threaded, as at I8, from its inner end to approximately. a medial point, and its threads mesh with the threads l6 ofsleeve l5 for a relative inward or an outward adjustment of the sleeve ll by rotation thereof in opposite directions. For this purpose, there is fixed on the outer end of the tubular sleeve H, a wheel 20 of substantial diameter.

Extended axially through the sleeve 11 is a shaft rotatably mounted by bearings 26 and 21 that are formed at the opposite ends of sleeve l1 respectively; these bearings being of any suitable kind and pressure-tight in order to prevent leakage of steam from the retort.

Fixed to the outer end of the shaft 25 is a radially extending lever 3i) for rotating the shaft, and this lever, near its outer end, is bent inwardly to provide a handle portion 30 that will lie closely to the outer surface of the door for disposition between two spaced studs, or steps '3l-3l as a means of locking the lever against that movement required for rotating shaft 25.

Fixed coaxially upon the inner end of the shaft-25, are two circular, superimposed disks 33-33, formed at their peripheries with opposedly facing ball sockets 34 which coact to form a plurality of retaining socketsfor the ball shaped ends 350. of a like number of door lock levers 35. As shown best in Fig. 4, the two disks 33-33, are keyed on areduced end'portion of shaft 25 and are clamped against a shoulder 36 on the shaft by a holding nut 31 that is threaded onto the outer end of the reduced portion.

In the present illustration, eight of the door locking levers are employed, and these extend radially of the door, each with its inner end connected by the ball and socket members, with the disks. Each lever 35 is supported near its outer end by a post 40 mounted rigidly upon and extending inwardly from the door. Also, each lever has a longitudinal slot 35:10 formed therein through which the outer end portion of the post extends, and each post-mounts a cross pin as at 42 upon which the lever is slidable. Also. a nut ,43is threaded onto the outer end of each post to retain the lock lever thereon,-and washers 44 are disposed on the posts between the levers and nuts.

The outer end portion 'of each lock lever is adapted to be engaged within its'individual seat in the retort wall adjacent the opening 2, to lock the door'against opening movement.

To make the action of thelock levers easier, antifriction thrust bearings of a suitable kind are interposed between the end surface of sleeve l! and the inner disk 33, as seen in Fig. 6.

Assuming now that the door is so constructed and mounted, and that it is in closed and sealed position, as indicated by its showing in Figs. 2 and 5, it is released andopened in the following manner:

First, thewheel 20 is rotated in a direction whereby the sleeve l1 is;moved longitudinally outward. This shifting of the sleeve causes the several levers 35 to pivot on their supporting posts so that their outer end portions, .whioh are then engaged in the seats 50 about the opening 2, will operate to pry the door outwardly.

As the door is thus shifted outwardly, the seal of its rim portion l l with the gasket I2 is broken and steam pressure is allowed to escape through this loose joint about the door. However, the door is still held against opening so long as the outer ends of the lock levers are retained in the seats. The escapement of internal pressure may beexpeditedby adjustingthe door to its maximum outer limit before swinging.

After internal pressure has thus been allowed to escape from the retort through the loose joint opened up about the door, then the lock levers 35 are all simultaneously retracted from their seats 55 to release the door for opening. This retracting of the levers is effected by rotation of shaft 25 by the lever 30; it being understood that this lever cannot be used to rotate the shaft until the door has been adjusted outwardly a distance sufficient that the handle end 30 of the lever is moved in the clear of the retaining studs 3l-3l. Swinging of the lever 3|] from the full line position to the dotted line position, as seen in Fig. 2, rotates the disks 33 to draw the levers to their retracted positions, as seen in Fig. 1, and it is apparent that by so doing, the levers will be retracted from their seats 5!! to permit the door to be opened.

In closing the door, it is swung on its hinges to such position that the outer ends of the lock levers are in position to be seated in their respective seats 50. Then the lever 35 is swung back to locking position to rotate disks 33 .and thus extend the lock levers into their seats. Finally, the wheel 29 is rotated to shift the sleeve I! inwardly, and thus, through the leverage obtained and applied to the door through the pull on theposts 40, the-door will be pulled inwardly to sealed position. The extent to which the' door is tighteneddsdependent upon the distance inwardly toward which the sleeve I! is shifted.

With the-lock so constructed, it is quite apparent that the door cannot be swung open until after an initial outward adjustment that allows 'an escape of internal pressure. Also, the devices provided permit a tight and secure closing of the door to retain pressure in the retort.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. A retort comprising a housing formed with an opening, a door hinged on the housing to swing between open and housing sealing positions,

a guide bearing mounted in the door substantially F at a central location, a sleeve mounted in the bearing and having a threaded connection there- 'with for inward or outward adjustment,'a shaft rotatably contained in the sleeve and extending to the inner and outer sides of the door, a pluralityof door locking levers at the inside of the door, each lever having a pivotal connection at its inner end with the inner end of the said-shaft eccentrically'of its axis of rotation, and extending substantially radially of the door, fulcrum supports on the door mounting the outer end portions of the levers thereon for pivotal and longitudinal movement, a' leve'r on the outer end of the shaft whereby it may be rotated to effect a simultaneous inward or anoutward shifting of alllock levers from or into holding contact with the housing about the opening, and a wheel mounted on the sleeve at the outside of the door'whereby it may be rotated to effect aninward adjustment ot the sleeve whereby tocause an iriward clampuse ing of the odoor, or to efiect an outward adjustment whereby to cause an outward shifting of the door from sealing contact with the housing.

2. A device as in claim 1 wherein the levers are longitudinally slotted along their outer end portions and said fulcrum supports comprise posts fixed on the door and extending through the slots to guide the travel of the levers, and means is provided on the posts below and above the levers to retain them pivotally on the posts.

3. A device as in claim 1 wherein spaced abutments are provided on the outside of the door to receive the shaft rotating lever therebetween incident to locking and sealing the door, and

from which said lever cannot be romoved when the door is locked, except by an outward adjustment of the door made by an outward adjustment of the sleeve to such extent that the said lever is displaced outward from between said abutments.

4. A device as in claim 1 wherein a pair of disks, in face to face contact, are fixed on the inner end of said locking shaft and are formed with cooperating registering sockets, and said lock levers are provided with ball ends contained pivotally in cooperating sockets.

FREDRICK T. JENKINS. 

